medical testing - ugh

[Ambergris]

On 10/21/2018 at 11:58 PM, kappydell said:

I have heard of some cats being lovey-dovey then nipping their owners.  Supposedly overstimulation is the culprit - they can only handle so much, then have to run off or lash out.  Watch for the slow sinuous tail movement (relaxed) becoming more erratic, more like a lashing tail rather than a relaxed swing.  Then stop petting & let them jump down & go get a drink of water.

 

I have a brain-damaged cat who gets overstimulated very easily.  This cat was totally relaxed, sunning himself on the porch near me, and then out of nowhere whipped around and bit.  

 

But he is not rabid.  I didn't find out until today because the office is closed Mondays.  

Edited October 23, 2018 by Ambergris

[snapshotmiki]

I'm glad to hear the cat isn't rabid!  Hated to think of you getting those shots!

[Jeepers]

Thank God the cat isn't rabid!  Whew.

[kappydell]

Thank goodness.  Those shots are NOT nice.

Did a bunch of tests yesterday - tests for carpal tunnel and the other nerve in the hands, on both sides.  Then two MRIs.  The neurologist thought he MIGHT have seen something odd on the first one.  I did them in one day because the Mds cant seem to figure out that cant afford to keep driving 100 miles (round trip) every time they want to play with new toys.  They better find a way to do this stuff closer to home, or I'm finding new docs.  Grrrrrr.

Edited November 7, 2018 by kappydell

[Mt_Rider]

Ambergris....that is GOOOOD news about the strange cat!  No rabies   

 

Kappy....oye, that's a LOT of miles to keep traveling  esp. if one doesn't feel well!  Access to health care in rural America is still a problem..

 

MtRider ....little late cuz haven't been near Internet.... 

[kappydell]

Well.....all my results came back.  More surgery, not surprising since every Md who looked at the CDs of my MRIs said..."You are very messed up"  Went to the neuro doc yesterday and he said my being bent over was NOT my worst back problem.  I have a cervical spine problem - my stenosis is so bad in my neck that he says the spinal cord is squished quite flat.  Asked if I have had numbness....yes, in my hands....clumsiness....yes, but I thought it was arthritis.  He kinda chucked and said, well, yes, it IS arthritis, only in the neck not the hands.  

Apparently it is a fairly straightforward fix...cut my throat, move over everything, remove the degenerating discs, put spacers in their place, and then I wear a neck brace for a few months while everything bonds and heals together.  And if I don't?  I lose more and more function from the neck down - first hands, then walking, and other things until I get pretty helpless.      

I have a friend who had it done, and he speaks highly of it.  He said it also cured his "carpal tunnel" which turned out to be the first symptoms of his spinal cord being pinched.  Hmmmm.  When they tested me for carpal tunnel they told me it could recur.  Mine has, as well as more problems on the other nerve in the wrist.  Hmmmm.  I wonder if it is in my neck, not my wrists?   More questions for him when I see him again.  Surgery being set up for Jan.  Hafta have clearance (a physical) from my regular doc first; then from my cancer doc.  All is being set up and arranged so I just await a phone call with a date.  I swear, I'm going to be the six million dollar woman and no super powers to show for it.    Least they could do is a double chin removal while they are there....probably get the same answer as when I asked the cancer doc to do a tummy tuck while he took my uterus (he just laughed  and said "everybody asks us about that").   I am eager to do this....I was becoming rather upset over my increasing fumble-fingered-ness....hand sewing was becoming very difficult, typing on the computer was getting harder (LOTS of extra correcting of weird spellings), I was looking into getting special handles for my knives for cooking for better control, and I was even unable to play the piano anymore anywhere near as well as I used to.  I actually cried at being unable to play Chopin any more.  From what the doctor and my friend told me it will correct all that, PLUS help with my chronic pain.  Sounds like a win-win to me.  Bring on the neck brace! 

[Mt_Rider]

Oh my, Kappy.  That will certainly be a huge ordeal.....and yet, the benefits should make it well worth it.  Odd huh?  The problem not in the hands...but the neck.  Well, alrighty then! 

MtRider   

[The WE2's]

Good wishes for your surgery Kappy.  My sis has stenosis (?) and she fought it much too long, to the point where they told her surgery or a wheelchair.  It was quite an ordeal with months of recovery, but now she's back on the dance floor and thankful she's walking and not humped over and twisted to one side anymore.  "Father God, guide the hands of these surgeons as they mend these damaged parts of Kappy's neck and spine...in Jesus' name...amen".

[Jeepers]

Amen.  

[Annarchy]

I’ll keep you in my prayers, Kappydell. 

 

Bad back, surgery not being an option, I will definitely want to hear how you recover. I can only wish they could fix mine. 

 

[Ambergris]

I had this surgery because my nerve to the arm was  over 80% squashed.  It did me so much good.  Then the next wreck happened...

[kappydell]

TY for the prayers & good wishes, ladies.  I had just been praying (before I talked to the doc) about how sad I was that I was losing the use of my hands...becoming useless is one of my deepest fears...asking for healing, but also telling God that if it was indeed his will I would accept & deal with it.  Then the next day BAM, the doc said he could fix me.  I consider that yet another one of those "little miracles" in my life...it never fails to amaze me.

[Mt_Rider]

 

[kappydell]

Oh goodie.  MORE tests.  Today I got an EKG for my pre-surgery physical.  Ugh.  Doc says my wave form looks like I had a heart attack in the past - a little one - yep, a cardiologist told me about it years ago, said not a problem, just take 1/2 baby aspirin every night.  Then told me I didn't need to come back, as I didn't need her.  So I figured OK, not a big problem.  

Ditto the heart murmur I've had for years & years.  Dr. B wants a stress test though, so tomorrow at 7 AM I go get one.  What the heck, its been about 10 years since the last one.  I hope it does not prevent me from neck surgery though.  The neuro doc said it was kind of important to unpinch the spinal cord. 

Mary is having a fit - I am trying to reassure her that it is not as bad as all that, after all her dad had open heart surgery & cardio problems and lived into his 90s.  And if I did have a heart attack it was such a mild one that nobody noticed, including me!  It's not working very well though, she' a worrier.  

We did go and pick a passel of veggies for the doc though.  Our area is known for having not enough Mds, so we want to coddle her a bit.  Besides, fresh veggies make her eyes light up with pleasure.  So doc is getting lettuce, broccoli, collards, mixed kales, spinach and a nice head of cabbage.  Enough for her to eat for a week or share with her grown daughters.   I'm eating so many greens my last blood test actually showed high folacin levels - but doc said it was not only not a problem, it was a plus.    

[kappydell]

Well, that stress test was the easiest one I've ever done.  But I thought it was odd that I felt nothing.  I got the injection and was told I would feel a flush.  Nope.  They kept asking if I was out of breath.  Nope.  Just laid there, bored.  No heart rate raise that I could tell, no nothing.  Unless something shows up on the before & after contrast x-rays, I don't even inow right now if it worked.  Hopefully the absence of any discomfort was a good sign.  Then off for an echocardiogram aka ultrasound.  Getting into position hurt more than anything else, as I took no meds the morning prior.  Oh yes, getting up at 5 AM hurt some, especially without coffee.  My body kept saying "Hey, what happened? You promised we would never have to do this again!"  

 

On the plus side, my doc was delighted over the veggies.  It took a fairly large box to carry them all, and she kept pulling out bag after bag to see what was in there.  Like Christmas! 

Edited January 25, 2019 by kappydell

[Mt_Rider]

   

 

 

[The WE2's]

What a blessing you were to her Kappy!  The veggies look absolutely beautiful.

[kappydell]

Good news - Im cleared for neck surgery.  The cardiology test showed NO issues...in fact, doc calculated the percentage of likelihood of a "cardiac issue" at...0.17%.  That is pretty low, so she said "go ahead"!  Plus she loved the veggies and is making them last....she said she will get at least a weeks worth of meals from them.  

[Mt_Rider]

That is fantastic news....and great 'odds'.  Praying this surgery will free you to be more able than you are already.  Restore hand and other movement!!!! 

 

MtRider       .....mebbe I should bring my surgeon veggies?    

[Jeepers]

Kappy, I think your diet is working for you. Wonderful news.

[kappydell]

Got my surgery - the hospital was pretty third world as far as nursing care.  Didn't know the place was BYOA (bring your own aide).  Never go back there again.  They actually called me to take a survey about their nursing care....they got all "very dissatisfied" ratings.  Never going back there again.  But on the plus side, when I had my follow up MRI (yep, under that semi again, lol) they made me a personal disc of my own on for a fee ($10 was not too bad in my opinion to have my own copy).  I'm starting my own personal medical record with copies of all my lab tests and imaging films as well as their interpretation.  Should make getting a 2nd opinion SOOOOO much easier, should I want one.  

[Jeepers]

I have a CD of my last MRI too. I downloaded into my computer and then sent it to my external hard drive for safe keeping. 

 

I don't know how it is any place else but here, if you want a copy from the hospital you have to pay for it. I don't know how much. BUT, if you tell the hospital to send it to your doctor's office it's free for them. Tell your doctor that you want a copy and they make a copy for you for free. 

 

Since I had to go in and sign a release form at the doctors office I told them I wanted a copy of it after the doctor looked at it. 

 

It's worth a try. Don't hurt to ask. It worked for me. Free is good. I'm building a medical notebook too. It seems like every time I go to the doctor I leave with a file of every detail of my visit. Gotta put all those papers somewhere. Might as well start yet another binder.